Weatherseal for doors



Feb. 6, 1962 v. L. WALENGA WEATHERSEAL FOR DOORS Filed Feb. 23, 1960 BYaZezga/ 3,019,493 WEATHERSEAL FOR DGORS Victor L. Walenga, 149% VineAva, Harvey, Ill. Filed Feb. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 10,505 7 Claims. (Cl.20-457) The present invention relates to a novel Weatherstripping orsealing structure, and more particularly to a novel Weatherstripping orsealing structure especially suitable for sealing the gap between aclosure, such as a door or window, and an associated frame.

Many Weatherstripping devices now in general use in association withhinged closures such as doors and windows are frequently only partiallyeffective for their intended purpose. This is particularly true in theevent that there is a relatively wide gap between an edge of the closureand the associated frame, which gap might occur as a result of variouscauses such as poor workmanship or warpage or wear.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a novelsealing or Weatherstripping structure which is particularly suitable forproviding an improved seal between hinged closures such as doors andwindows and an associated frame.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelsealing or Weatherstripping structure which may be effectively used ininstances where there is a varying and/or relatively wide gap between anedge of the closure and the associated frame when the closure is in theclosed position.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelsealing or Weatherstripping structure which is adapted to provide aneffective seal without causing binding between the door and the doorframe so as to facilitate opening and closing of the door or closure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel sealingor Weatherstripping structure which may be used around the entireperipheral edge of the closure or door.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a door hingedly mounted inassociation with a door frame and disposed in an open position, saiddoor including a sealing or Weatherstripping structure constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2. is an enlarged perspective view showing an edge portion of adoor having a sealing structure can ructed in accordance with thepresent invention applied thereto;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing elements ofthe sealing structure of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5--5in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line6-6 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 5 butshowing the door in a closed position.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like parts aredesignated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, a doorinstallation it} incorporating features of the present invention isshown in FIG. 1. This installation comprises a door frame 12 having theusual opposite side and top and bottom members 1d, 16, 18 and 20. A door22 for substantially closing the rectangular opening defined by theframe members is pivotally connected to the side frame memher 16 byupper and lower hinges 24 and 26. Identical, V

except as to length, sealing or Weatherstripping structures 28constructed in accordance with the present invention are mounted alongthe opposite side and top and bottom edges of the door in a mannerdescribed in detail below. As indicated best in FIG. 2, the sealingstructure 28 comprises an elongated strip or member 30 having a lengthsubstantially the same as its associated edge of the door. The strip 30is pivotally or hingedly connected to the edge of the door by means of aplurality of small hinges 32 spaced at desired intervals along the edgeas indicated best in FIGS. 2-7. Each of the hinges 32 includes a firstleaf 34 having apertures therethrough so that it is adapted to besecured to the door by means of a plurality of screws 36, or the like.In addition, each hinge 32 comprises a second leaf 33 pivotallyconnected to the first leaf by a pintle 40 extending through thecomplementary knuckles 42 and 44 formed integrally with the leaves.

As shown best in FIGS. 3 and 4, a space 46 is provided between adjacentknuckles of the leaves for accommodating the body portion of a torsionspring 48 which encircles the pintle all. The spring is provided withopposite end portions 56 and 52 which embrace the leaves 34 and 38 andnormally bias the leaf 38 toward the leaf 3d and to the closed positionshown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for the reasons discussed below.

The elongated member or strip 34 maybe formed of any suitable materialsuch, for example, as aluminum. The member 3% is secured to and carriedon outer surfaces of the outer leaves 33 of a plurality of the hingesand is located so that one longitudinal margin 54 which faces forwardlywith respect to the closing movement of the door is located slightlyforwardly of the pivotal connections or pivot pins of the hinges. Anysuitable means such as spot welds, screws and the like, may be used forsecuring the elongated member to the hinges.

As shown best in FIGS. 3 and 5-7, a sealing element 56 of resilientrubber, plastic or other suitable material extends along the forwardlyfacing edge of the margin 54 of the elongated member 3% and is securedthereto. In the embodiment shown, the connection between the sealingelement and the elongated member is provided by forming the elongatedmember with a slot 58 along the forward edge thereof and having arestricted throat and by wedging a portion of the sealing element intothe slot. Another sealing elemen 6i extends along trailing margin 62 ofthe elongated member. Preferably this element is disposed along theouter side face or surface of the trailing margin for promoting sealingengagement thereof with the door frame in the manner described more indetail below. The sealing element may also be connected with theelongated member by providing a slot 64 in the outer side of thetrailing marginal portion of the elongated member which slot has arestricted throat and receives a portion of the sealing element. Ifdesired adhexive or other suitable means may be utilized for securingthe sealing elements to the elongated member.

The manner in which each of the sealing or weatherstripping structures28 is assembled with the door is indicated best in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.More specifically, it is seen that the edge of the door is formed with agroove or channel 66 having a forward or front side wall 68 spaced fromthe outer front or forward surface of the door and a rear or trailingside wall 74 It is to be understood, of course, that the groove orchannel 66 is provided around the entire periphery of the door foraccommodating all of the weather sealing structures 18. The depth of thechannel 65 is preferably at least slightly greater than the combinedthickness of the leaves 34 and 38 of the hinges.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the leaves 34 of the hinges are securedagainst the bottom of the channel 66 by the screws 36 so that the commonaxis of the pivot pins or pintles 4% extends longitudinally of the edgeof the door and is spaced rearwardly with respect to the direction ofclosing movement of the door from the side Wall d8 of the channel.However, it will be noted that the hinges are arranged so that thepivotal conections between the leaves face in the direction of theclosing movement of the door. It will be observed that the arrangementis also such that the forwardly facing sealing element 56 carried by theelongated member 3h is adapted sealingly to engage the door and moreespecially the rearwardly facing side wall or surface 68 of the channel66.

As indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the door 22 is in an open position,the outer leaves 38 of the hinges 32 and the strip 30 carried therebyare held in an open position such that the trailing margin 62 of theelongated member or strip 30 is spaced substantially laterally from theedge of the door. This is accomplished by mounting a plurality of springbiased plungers 72 in suitable recesses spaced along the edge of thedoor, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 6, so that the plungers engage theinner side of the elongated member 30 and resiliently bias it to theopen position shown. As shown in FIG. 6 each of the plungers 72 ispreferably provided with a rounded tip for engaging the elongated memberand includes a stem 74 slidably extending through an aperture in anotherwise closed outer end member 76 of a housing or shell 78. Acompression spring 80 is disposed between the inner end of the shell anda flange portion $2 provided at the inner end of the stem 74 for biasingthe plunger to an outermost position limited by engagement of the flange82 with the end element 76.

While the spring biased plungers 72 serve to urge the strip 36 to theoutwardly pivoted or open position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is to benoted that the spring elements 48 associated with the hinges 32 bias theleaves 38 and thus the elongated member 30 toward a closed position.However, the strength of the springs 48 is less than the strength of thespring 80 associated with the plungers so that the springs 48 do notoverpower the action of the plungers but serve to hold the elongatedmember 30 in a yieldable and controlled manner against the plungers.

When the door 22 is closed, the sealing element 60 is aggressively andresiliently urged into sealing contact with an adjacent portion of thedoor frame, as shown in FIG. 7. In other words, the elongated member 30and the sealing element 60 combine together to fill completely the gap84 located between the edge of the door and the door frame. When theelement 60 engages the door frame the member 36 is pivoted inwardlytowards the closed position shown in FIG. 7 and the forwardly disposedsealing element 56 is aggressively urged into more secure sealingengagement with the side wall 68 of the channel in the door. It will beappreciated that the width of the gap 34 may vary to a considerabledegree at different locations around the periphery of the door, andwhere the gap is wider the plungers 72 will hold the elongated member 34outwardly from the fully closed position shown in FIG. 7 and so that thesealing element 6% is aggressively pressed against the adjacent doorframe. It will be appreciated that while the elongated member 30 may berelatively rigid in a transverse direction it is provided withsutficient longitudinal flexibility to enable the spring biased plungersto bend or deflect the elongated member when necessary, to urge allportions of the strip or element 6t? into sealing engagement with thedoor frame.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shownand described herein, it is obvious that many structural details may bechanged without departing from the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A weather sealing structure for doors and the like comprising hingemeans including first leaf means mountable on a narrow peripheral edgeof a door supported within a door frame and the like and second leafmeans pivotally connected to and overlying said first leaf means andsaid narrow peripheral edge with the pivotal axis of the connectionbetween said leaf means being disposed for extending longitudinally ofsaid edge of the door for entry into a space between confrontingportions of said edge and the door frame when the door is closed,elongated means mounted on said second leaf means for extendinglongitudinally of said edge of the door and for entry into said spacewhen the door is closed, said elongated means including a relativelyrigid member, a first resilient sealing element along a first marginthereof disposed adjacent an outer margin of said second leaf means forsealingly engaging the door frame and the like when the door is closed,and a second resilient sealing element disposed along a second margin ofsaid relatively rigid member adjacent the pivotal connection betweensaid first and second leaf means for sealingly engaging said edge of thedoor.

2. A weather sealing structure, as defined in claim 1, which includesresilient means for yieldably holding said second leaf means and theelongated means carried there by in an open position pivoted outwardlyfrom said first leaf means for promoting engagement of said sealingelement with the door frame and the like when said door is closed.

3. A weather sealing structure for doors and the like comprising hingemeans including first leaf means mountable on an edge of a doorsupported within a door frame and the like and second leaf meanspivotally connected to and overlying said first leaf means with thepivotal axis of the connection between said leaf means being disposedfor extending longitudinally of said edge of the door, elongated meansmounted on said second leaf means for extending longitudinally of saidedge of the door, said elongated means including a first resilientsealing element along a first margin thereof disposed adjacent margin ofsaid second leaf means for sealingly engaging the door frame and likewhen the door is closed, and resilient means for yieldably holding saidsecond leaf means and the elongated means carried thereby in an openposition pivoted outwardly from said first leaf means for promotingengagement of said sealing element with the door frame and the like whenthe door is closed, said resilient means comprising spring meansmountable on said door for resiliently biasing said elongated means andsaid second leaf means outwardly a predetermined distance, and weakerspring means between said first and second leaf means for resilientlybiasing said elongated means toward said first mentioned spring means.

4. A weather sealing structure for closures such as doors and the like,comprising hinge means including first leaf means mountable on an edgeof a closure supported within a closure frame and second leaf meanspivotally connected to and overlying said first leaf means with thepivotal connection between said leaf means being disposed for extendinglongitudinally of said edge of the closure, an elongated relativelyrigid strip-like member mounted on said second leaf means for extendinglongitudinally of said edge of the closure and having a first margindisposed adjacent an outer margin of said second leaf means and a secondmargin disposed adjacent the pivotal connection between said first andsecond leaf means, a first resilient sealing element extending along andsecured to said first margin of said elongated member for sealingengagement with a closure frame and the like when the closure is closed,a second resilient sealing element disposed along and connected to said5 second margin of said elongated member for sealing engagement withsaid edge of the closure, and resilient means for holding said secondleaf means and the elongated member carried thereby in an open positionpivoted outwardly from said first leaf means.

5. The combination comprising a door and the like mounted within a doorframe for opening and closing movement, there being a narrow spacebetween an edge of said door and the door frame when the door is closed,and elongated means extending along said edge of the door and mounted onsaid door for pivotal movement about an axis extending along said edgefor enabling one longitudinal margin of said elongated means to movetoward and away from said edge, an elongated resilient sealing elementconnected with an extending along said margin of said elongated meansfor sealingly engaging said door frame when the door is in the closedposition, resilient means for resiliently holding said elongated meansin an open position with said one longitudinal margin pivoted outwardlyfrom said door edge for yieldably positioning said resilient element forengagement with the door frame, said door being mounted for pivotalmovement to and from open and closed positions, said elongated meansbeing mounted so that said longitudinal margin faces toward said openposition a second longitudinal margin of said elongated means oppositefrom said first mentioned longitudinal margin being disposed closer tosaid door edge than said first mentioned mar gin and facing in thedirection of closing movement of the door for facilitating entry of saidelongated means within said space between the door edge and the doorframe, a second resilient sealing element extending along and connectedto said second margin of said elongated means for sealingly engagingsaid edge of the door, and elongated channel means in said edge of thedoor and partially defined by a side wall facing oppositely from thedirection of closing movement of the door, said elongated means beingpivot-ally disposed for locating said second sealing element at leastpartially within said channel means and in engagement with said sidesurface.

6. A combination, as defined in claim 5, wherein said elongated meansand said elements are disposed along opposite side and top edges of thedoor.

7. A combination, as defined in claim 5, wherein said elongated meansand sealing elements are disposed along substantially the entireperipheral edge of said door,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS186,079 Chandler Jan. 9, 1877 479,973 Chase Aug. 2, 1892 1,052,728 KnottFeb. 11, 1913 2,310,433 I -I ester Feb. 9, 1943 FQ E P TE S 632,759France Oct. 10, 1927 445,093 Great Britain Apr. 2, 1936 828,661 FranceFeb. 2. 1, 1938 62,293 Denmark May 30, 1944

